Growth Problem?

[mom2lucas]

Hi! My 2-year-old son has been on the gluten-free diet for 2 months now after being diagnosed a celiac through a biopsy. He has gained 6 pounds in these 2 months which put him back on the 95th weight percentile, from where he had started to fall about 8 months ago. However, he hasn't grown a single inch, and is now on the 50th height percentile. My question is: after the gluten-free diet, is it normal for the height growth to take its time to gain speed? I thought that by now with his very obvious weight gain, he had grown, but we checked it yesterday and he hasn't. He has always been a tall baby, and we parents are tall, so I'm starting to worry that he might have something else causing this growth delay. Anyone has ever experienced this with your celiac toddlers? Thanks for any input.

[Ridgewalker]

Hi there! I'm mom to a Lucas as well! (Mine is 7. )

I have a few questions that may help clarify the situation...

How long has it actually been since he gained any height? If it's only been a few months, this is normal even for a child without Celiac.

Has he gained NO height, or only a tiny bit? Even a 1/4 of an inch counts.

Does he look well-proportioned? Ignore the charts for a moment, and look at your son-- does his weight seem to fit his height and bone structure?

If he has always been a tall baby, even before he was diagnosed, that is excellent. Dropping to the 50th percentile shouldn't be anything to worry about-- since 50th percentile is average for the nation. In other words, I'm not sure I would consider this to be a growth delay (unless it's a been a LONG time since he's gained no height.) What was his doctor's reaction to the height measurement?

Kids go through fast and slow periods in their growth, and that's normal. Last year, my Lucas was the tallest kid in his kindergarten class. This year, there were 4 or 5 kids that were taller than him.

I hope this helps!

[mom2lucas]

Hi there! I'm mom to a Lucas as well! (Mine is 7. )

I have a few questions that may help clarify the situation...

How long has it actually been since he gained any height? If it's only been a few months, this is normal even for a child without Celiac.

Has he gained NO height, or only a tiny bit? Even a 1/4 of an inch counts.

Does he look well-proportioned? Ignore the charts for a moment, and look at your son-- does his weight seem to fit his height and bone structure?

If he has always been a tall baby, even before he was diagnosed, that is excellent. Dropping to the 50th percentile shouldn't be anything to worry about-- since 50th percentile is average for the nation. In other words, I'm not sure I would consider this to be a growth delay (unless it's a been a LONG time since he's gained no height.) What was his doctor's reaction to the height measurement?

Kids go through fast and slow periods in their growth, and that's normal. Last year, my Lucas was the tallest kid in his kindergarten class. This year, there were 4 or 5 kids that were taller than him.

I hope this helps!

Thanks for your reply. He hasn't grown a thing since December- his celiac sintoms and ordeal began in January. He does look fit, even a little plump having gained 6 pounds in 2 months, but it's just that I would have expected that since he was so obviously gaining weight, meaning his gut was healing, I thought he would have grown something... his GastroPedi says she's not worried as bones take a longer time to get back on track, but his Pediatrician seemed a little worried, told me to get back to her if he didn't grow by September. That's what got me all stressed up about this...

[Ridgewalker]

Thanks for your reply. He hasn't grown a thing since December- his celiac sintoms and ordeal began in January. He does look fit, even a little plump having gained 6 pounds in 2 months, but it's just that I would have expected that since he was so obviously gaining weight, meaning his gut was healing, I thought he would have grown something... his GastroPedi says she's not worried as bones take a longer time to get back on track, but his Pediatrician seemed a little worried, told me to get back to her if he didn't grow by September. That's what got me all stressed up about this...

Remember that I'm no doctor, "just" a mom-- but I'm betting he's got a nice big growth spurt coming up really soon! Try to take a breath and not worry until it's time to worry. (I know that's easier said than done!)

Keep feeding him good, healthy foods, and put him on a gluten-free children's multivitamin, if you haven't already.

If he had a lot of intestinal damage, then even as his gut heals, it's going to take time for his body to catch up. A very important thing to remember is that it can't take care of everything at once. I've learned that the body can and will prioritize when it has multiple jobs to do. Sometimes the body's priorities make sense to us, and sometimes they don't.

There's a lot of healing going on in his body right now, and to me, the fact that he's gaining weight so well seems like an excellent sign that his body is doing its work!

Keep asking questions- of us, and of your son's doctors. Don't hesitate to call them with questions, too! That's what they're there for, and I think sometimes we get these weird ideas that we shouldn't "bother" our doctors too much. Forget about that! Keep them in the loop, and ask them anything you're wondering about.

I hope you stick around the forum, this is an excellent place to learn about Celiac and the gluten-free diet.

[Darn210]

My opinion . . . I don't think you need to worry yet. It's fantastic that he's gained 6 pounds in two months!! A friend of mine has a 95% kid (not celiac - just sharing a kid story) and she was complaining about the growth pattern because she ends up having to buy a lot of clothes. Anyway, she was saying that her daughter would alternate her growth in height and weight . . . meaning, for a while she would just put on weight, then she just gets taller but quits gaining weight, then she gains weight but doesn't grow taller . . . etc, etc. You might find that your child just needs to be gluten-free a little longer before he takes off or you might find his growth pattern does something like my friend's daughter.

[Aleshia]

hi, I agree about the growth spurt, kids usually get a bit on the chubby side right before they shoot up. you could look at his feet to see if they have gotten larger. I've heard that the feet grow first then the lefts then the hands then the arms. so if his shoes are getting tight you can bet he will get taller.

my son is 18 1/2 mo. and had only gained 2 lb in 12 mo. then I put him on a gluten-free diet and he gained a lb in a month. he is just now growing out of his 18-24mo. clothes that he has been in since 4 mo. old!

don't worry his growth will get better

[mom2lucas]

Thank you all for your words, I feel more relieved now...

[Krystens mummy]

My doctor told me that weight always perceeds height. The body will store the weight fat and nutrients it needs first before it will use them to grow. This is for self preservation. Your child may need to put on a bit more weight to catch up before the growth starts